Monday, December 27, 2010

Missing the High NotesSingaporeans can make a greater impact on the world music stage ifthey are given more moral and monetary support.by Wang Ya-Hui, December 2010

Today, I look at many young Singaporean musicians, and their parentswho dream of their child’s distinguished musical future. I would hateto say to them that compared with their Western counterparts, they arealready behind. And when they finally walk the road, they will realisethat they are even further behind. Why do I think that Singaporeansare disadvantaged in making an impact on the world music stage, andwhat can Singapore do about it?

Allow me to tell you about my own experience of music, which hasshaped my views.

Let’s rewind to the ‘70s and ‘80s when I was growing up in Singapore.Most of us had our music education privately. We learnt from teachersindividually, an hour per week. Music in Asia then was considered forthe rich and (sadly still is) an indulgence. I recall my maternalgrandfather asking my mother why she invested in a piano for herdaughters “to make noise on”. Nevertheless, we went on to take theABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal School of Music) exams likeeveryone else who took formal music lessons.

The ABRSM system was good for those times. It made us practise ourscales and arpeggios (basic technical skills), learn theory andprovide an early training of our aural skills. These were foundations,vital for a degree in music and a lifetime’s engagement in music.

After I obtained the LTCL (Licentiate of Trinity College of Music), mypiano teacher who had patiently taught me from scratch, advised mymother that I should look for another teacher. We found Ong Lip Tat, ayoung Singaporean pianist who had just returned from Germany and madehis debut with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) at its openingconcert.

What I learnt from him, aside from a great advancement and maturity inmy piano playing, was showmanship, which I still use today. He wasalways particular about how one plays every note and how thatshould/could be communicated to the audience.

Technique and Training

One of the most important skills in music performance is technique.Technique is not inborn. Motor skills must be honed at a young age. Wehave all watched how the communist countries train their little ones(some even injure themselves in the process). Attaining excellenttechnique is almost impossible when spending a mere one-hour per weeklesson, practising through the cracks of school, homework and play.

I struggled much with this balance when I was young. Fortunately, Ihad an understanding mother who preferred me to fail my mathematicsthan to miss an hour of piano practice.

People in the Western world grow up as inheritors of Western art.Their techniques, knowledge, experience, and connections are largelydue to their constant exposure to Western Art. This is far more thanwhat an aspiring world-class musician here in the East can hope for.Some “buy” their resumé particulars, such as paying US$100,000 to playwith a Russian Symphony Orchestra on tour, or do a recording with amajor label. But that one-off event will not buy them eternal fame.

As Yo-Yo Ma’s father said in his Chinese biography, it takes threegenerations to make it to the very top -- the first generation is thebirth of a naturally talented but raw musician; the second generationis that of the professional musician; the third generation is the onethat can achieve world-class status. Yo-Yo Ma’s Dad was a cellist andMom a singer. Another example is the pianist Lang Lang.

Music and Money

This brings me to the second point: exposure and environment. Myclassmates at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia includedstudents such as Alan Gilbert, now Music Director of the New YorkPhilharmonic, and Ignat Solzhenitsyn (son of the Russian Literarygiant Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn). They spent their childhood withhouseguests such as the great Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovitchand New York Philharmonic conductors or musicians.

These young musicians had the opportunity to play chamber music withprofessionals, and were immersed in music that permeated every aspectof their lives.

The Curtis Institute of Music itself is known in the music world asone of, if not the best, music conservatories in the world, because ofits unique mission to train exceptionally gifted young musicians forcareers as performing artists, and its rare tuition-free policyestablished back in 1928. Only four Singaporeans (all violinistsexcept myself: Siow Lee Chin; Kam Ning and Ike See who is currentlystudying there) have ever studied in Curtis since its establishment in1924.

Keys to the Top

I returned to Singapore in 2006 to be the Music Director/Conductor ofthe Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University ofSingapore, Singapore’s first music conservatory. While the music sceneseems to have improved, the form has widened more than deepened. Morepeople are attending concerts, and there are many more people that Ican have intelligent invigorating musical conversations with. This hasprompted me to found a Richard Wagner Society here in Singapore. Butfrom my observations of the “emerging talent pool”, aside fromviolinist Kam Ning, I am still waiting to hear a young Singaporean whocan make it on the international stage.

In saying this, I do not intend to be too judgmental. To be the nextYo-Yo Ma, you have to have all of the following (and I’m not beingfacetious either): a) good looks b) right height c) enough muscles d)excellent technique e) great financial backing and personalconnections f) the gift of being musically refreshing andtranscendent.

Being petite and cute can sell, but the Asian physique, generallysmaller than the Caucasian, remains a challenge for top performers.

Groom Them Very Young

The late Dr Goh Keng Swee rightfully believed that this nation shouldhave its own symphony orchestra, and he started the SSO and initiatedthe SSO scholarships. His calculations were simple: government givesscholarships to Singaporean musicians to study abroad for four years,they then return to Singapore’s SSO to serve a bond for eight years.

After providing these scholarships for the past eight years,theoretically we should by now have a full orchestra of Singaporeanmusicians. The reality? Some scholarship holders returned to serve inthe SSO, but to this day, there is only a handful in the orchestra.The rest have moved on, and some have even given up musicprofessionally.

It is too late to start serious musical training at the age of 18. Youneed to start at 10 or earlier. The Yong Siew Toh Conservatory ofMusic takes in students at age 17 and above, and not surprisingly, ismade up of largely imported students. SOTA (School of the Arts)recently created by former Minister of the Arts, Dr Lee Boon Yang,does better, accepting local students at age 12. Let’s look at somegreat musicians of our times: Lorin Maazel (former Music Director ofNew York Philharmonic and Pittsburgh Symphony) started conductingpublicly at age 8; pianist/conductor Daniel Barenboim also beganperforming at age 7.

In my opinion, Singapore needs to have the will to commit to along-term strategy of growing local talents in this nation, instead ofpreferring to import foreign talent. As an aside, I do not blameSingaporeans who raise their concerns about our national table tennisplayers.

Commitment From All

In Singapore today, the government invests heavily in infrastructurehardware, erecting many fine buildings. Yet there is not enoughfinancial support for the software, the artists. Reports show thatSingapore has among the highest number of millionaires in Asia, but itis the rare individual who would step out to fund the arts.

Compare this with the Japanese and Korean corporations, who would paytheir own (and other countries’) symphony orchestras to feature theircountry’s artists. European embassies fund their artists to performin different countries.

I believe it is time for Singapore to redress this imbalance. Ourwonderful champion of the arts, Ambassador-at-large Professor TommyKoh, suggests that the Singapore government can do even more to useculture as an instrument of diplomacy and as a way to project a morerounded image of Singapore to the world.

Singapore now has an enormous opportunity in Asia. The economic growthis here, to quote Joseph Horowitz in Classical Music in America - aHistory: “According to a 1939 survey, the number of Americanorchestras increased from 17 before World War 1, to 270.” Underscoringthis trend, the former Director of the Curtis Institute of Music and agreat pianist of his time, Gary Graffman, once said, “During my time,people were talking about the end of classical music. Look at ittoday, there are more orchestras, more concerts and more classicalmusicians! Thus it has not reduced but increased!” Asia is walking thesame steps.

So, let us have more faith, and support the arts. Singaporeans are notless talented. Success in the arts is highly dependent on theenvironment, the financial and emotional support everyone in thecountry is willing to give to artists.

Don’t treat the arts as merely a business. Treat it as philanthropythat will improve the country that we live in and call home.

[Wang Ya-Hui is an internationally renowned conductor and hasconducted symphony orchestras, operas and ballets around the globe.She is currently based in Singapore as Music Adviser, Centre for theArts at the National University of Singapore.]

1 comments:

Anonymous
said...

So should we wait for the government to say something? Singaporeans tend to go with the government's direction. And the government's current preoccupation is with growth and revenue. Arts has minimal return on investment.